The inquest into the death of a Raphoe cattle-dealer, Mr Richard Barron, will open in Letterkenny today, almost six years after his death.
The death of Mr Barron on the roadside near his east Donegal home in October 1996 and subsequent events have resulted in the biggest investigation in the history of the State into the actions of gardaí.
Mr Barron's death was initially believed to have been the result of a hit-and-run incident, but gardaí opened a murder investigation within days.
This led to the arrest of a number of members of the McBrearty family from Raphoe and to an alleged confession to the murder of Mr Barron by Mr Frank McBrearty jnr.
While the Director of Public Prosecutions decided that no charges should be brought against Mr McBrearty, the alleged confession is likely to be raised at today's inquest.
Claims by the McBrearty family of garda corruption and abuse of power in the aftermath of Mr Barron's death have led to the Carty inquiry and the setting up of the Morris tribunal into alleged garda corruption.
According to the solicitor for the family of the late Mr Barron, Mr Paudge Dorrian, his clients have sought the inquest for a number of years and to date have not been issued with a death certificate.
"A number of difficulties may arise which will prevent the inquest concluding at this sitting. These include the alleged confession to Mr Barron's murder by Frank McBrearty jnr and the Morris tribunal," Mr Dorrian said.
An autopsy conducted after the exhumation of Mr Barron's body in July last year by the State Pathologist, Prof John Harbison, offered the opinion that the Raphoe man may have died as the result of a hit-and-run accident.
However, Mr Dorrian pointed out that relevant body parts had been retained by the State Pathologist and on examination another pathologist could come to a totally different conclusion.
"If the inquest goes ahead it could take a number of weeks, and there will be a number of issues for the coroner to decide on," Mr Dorrian said.